A typical vehicle includes a main vehicle battery system with a vehicle battery charging and discharging processes. The main vehicle battery powers the major systems of the vehicle. Many vehicles also include a separate auxiliary battery system to power the smaller instrumentation and electronic systems of the vehicle such as entertainment systems and audio devices. Both battery systems have a great impact on the performance and cost of operating a vehicle. For example, auxiliary batteries are used during testing with the objective of isolating the vehicle's electrical system from the testing equipment charge demand. In other words, it avoids these systems to increase the electrical load from the alternator. Accordingly, efficient utilization and management of the battery system is vital.
A major issue for effective battery management systems is preventing overcharge and deep discharge of the batteries as this may damage the batteries, shorten their lifetime or potentially damage components of the vehicle. Thus, it is desirable to provide a battery management system to maintain battery systems within a safe and reliable operating range. However, most vehicles do not provide any system to protect their batteries from deep discharge cycles.
Typical chargers for vehicle auxiliary batteries are charging devices placed in the trunk of the vehicle, which activate the auxiliary charge process periodically. When such auxiliary battery charging devices are turned off, such devices are not activating any kind of charge process for the auxiliary battery and the auxiliary battery is at risk of being drained completely after a short period of time. For example, this occurs most often when a user leaves all of the equipment in the vehicle on after turning the vehicle off. This represents an economical cost to the vehicle user as it may require a replacement auxiliary battery. Additionally, the spike in electrical current that could result from turning on the vehicle while using the auxiliary battery could cause the auxiliary battery and/or the testing equipment of the vehicle to overheat or be damaged.
In existing vehicle battery systems, the auxiliary battery is charged by the main vehicle battery or by external chargers. However, in such systems, in the case that the main vehicle battery malfunctions, the draw of current through the auxiliary battery system to power the entire vehicle is enough to damage the smaller electrical components ordinarily powered by the auxiliary battery. Furthermore, charging systems and methods vary depending on the source's voltage, amperage and the desired charging time. Thus, such systems must provide the battery with enough energy to complete a full charge without overheating it.
There is a need for new systems that solve these problems.